1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to semiconductor devices, and, more particularly, to memory cells for a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and processes for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the semiconductor industry, DRAM is one of the most important integrated circuits, which motivates continuing research and development. There is a continuing effort to increase the storage capacity, improve the writing and reading speed, and decrease the device dimensions of a DRAM cell. A DRAM cell generally includes a transistor and a capacitor operated by the transistor. Conventionally, the design of a DRAM cell can be divided into three types, namely, planar, stacked-capacitor and trench. In the planar design, the transistor and capacitor of a cell are produced as planar components. In the stacked-capacitor design, the capacitor of a cell is disposed above the transistor. In the trench design, the transistor is disposed on the surface of a substrate, and the capacitor is disposed in a trench formed in the substrate.
The process of forming a trench, however, requires an accurate alignment of mask work. For deep sub-micron semiconductor devices, a deep trench may have a length-to-diameter aspect ratio of 40:1. Typically, capacitors are formed in the deep and narrow trenches by depositing a dielectric layer on the trench walls and filling the trench with a doped polysilicon layer. As the aspect ratio becomes higher, for example, exceeds 20:1, the trench becomes more difficult to fill.